Chris Edmunds Law Office has filed a class-action lawsuit in state court against the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans based on the discriminatory questions that Catholic schools ask prospective students about their disabilities. The law in Louisiana prohibits schools from asking any questions in their admissions applications that “elicit[] or attempt[] to elicit information … concerning the disability of an otherwise qualified applicant for admission.” La. Rev. Stat. § 46:2254. But Catholic schools in Louisiana are flagrantly violating the plain text of this statute and using questions in their application forms designed to screen out students with disabilities. For example, Archbishop Shaw High School asks the following questions about prospective students:
“Has the student used the services of a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other mental healh professional?
“Please list any pre-existing medical conditions (allergies, diseases, physical or mental disorders, etc.)”
“Please list any physical limitations.”
“Please list any learning disabilities.”
“Please list any medications currently being taken.
Take a look at the questions for yourself:
Another example is Archbishop Rummel High School, which asks in its application application whether a student has “ever been in a resource program” or "has a formal evaluation.”
There is absolutely no reason that schools need to ask these types of questions before making initial admissions decisions. The reason these schools ask these questions is simple: they do not want students with disabilities at their school. Whether children have a physical disability or a learning disability, they deserve the same opportunities as other students. But New Orleans Catholic schools are not following the law, and Chris Edmunds Law Office will hold them accountable and force them to remove these questions from their applications.
One local news outlet, WWL TV, covered the lawsuit. You can watch that story here:
Another news outlet, NOLA.com, also covered the suit: https://www.nola.com/news/courts/article_48706962-1e82-11ed-9017-9fc925a06906.html
